Where will you be in 2009? Honestly?

BooMan asks an Honest Question:

Let's say hypothetically that Barack Obama secures the nomination and wins the presidential election in the fall. And let's say that the Democrats substantially increase their majorities in both the House and the Senate. What do you see happening to the progressive blogosphere in 2009? What's our role? What's our significance?

To start off: I don't - and never have - considered myself as a progressive. Nor do have any ties to the Democratic party. I have aligned myself closer to them in the past few years for the simple reason that tend to deal more with reality and less with spin and lies.

The simple fact that Connecticut's progressives were responsibly spearheading the efforts to deal with one of the worst Democratic party abusers of lies and propaganda in the nation - a true neocon through and through - Joe Lieberman (R- Idiot), speaks volumes on how they have chosen to tackle the Democratic party in the past... And, I truly hope, is a telling sign of their future treatment of the worst of the worst politicians that can, and do, come from any and all political parties.

Like most Americans, I believe that most of the worst that American politics has to offer is still rooted deeply in the heart of the Republican party. But that time will likely soon come to pass as they lose more and more power.

I am curious as to what many of my progressive allies, those that I have come to look at as trustworthy friends, in the Democratic party look at as their future goals and objectives?

I already understand that many of them will view "More and Better Democrats" as an obvious part of their agenda if they should clear the hurdles of obstructionism by Republicans in Congress through the likely victories that this election cycle is paving the way for. The shear number of Republican incumbents dropping out coupled with a lack of "top notch" candidates to fill those campaign holes and adding in their lack of grassroots funding at almost every level of national politics is creating the very real likelihood of a tsunami of change with very little the GOP can do to stop this beyond wishful thinking.

I am truly curious as to whether it will be hard for the many on the left that are attached to and/or operating within the Democratic party structure, and have lived off "reality" for so long, to ever find it possible to continue a posture of "cheer leading" for their team while ignoring the failures of some of their own candidates?

If the Democratic party does achieve a complete, or near complete, domination of national politics, what do you Democratic Bloggers view as your goals and objectives?

Like I said: I believe that most of you have more interest in truth. I even believe that the most partisan of you Democrats that I know do honestly have what you think is in the best interests of not just your party at heart but the nations' best interests as well.

My goals will always be to seek out truth. And will always include kicking any dishonest politician regardless of party affiliation. So, I can honestly say that my objectives would never change regardless of who has their hands on the levers of power. Truth and honesty, in a perfect world, would have no political bias. But this world ain't near a perfect world.

Have you considered what your goals and objectives will be, or continue to be, beyond the 2008 election cycle? I am certain that many of your allies, both within and without the Democratic party, would be interested in knowing.

Given the political tides, NOW is probably the time for you to begin contemplating and assessing your future within the blogosphere, and as an activist as well...

Hillary Humor and rumors on suspending her campaign

On the birth of a funny YouTube movie, via Real History Lisa at the BooTrib:

Well, "movie" is stretching it, in that it's about 1.5 minutes. But if you knew all that went into the making of this, movie is the correct term.

As you will recall, Omir here posted a hilarious sketch about "Mrs. C". I loved it and couldn't get it out of my head.

I talked to two people I had met in a screenwriting class, one of whom just completed his first film, and another who was dying to get a project under her belt. Between the two of them, aided by some generous donations from several people, we managed to get this video, birthed right here on Booman, up and running!

As it stands, there are rumors that Hillary Clinton may suspend her campaign:

This just in from AFP:

April 1, 2008 Washington, D. C. Senator Clinton is set to suspend her campaign tomorrow morning, according to senior campaign advisers.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, two prominent campaign officials stated today that Senator Clinton, after consultations with officials at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and other party leaders, has agreed to suspend her campaign in exchange for an agreement to seat both the Michigan and Florida delegations, whose primaries were held in violation of party rules.

Senator Clinton has made it a point to state recently her strong desire to seat these delegations, both of which awarded her the lion's share of the delegates at stake. Senator Obama's campaign has consistently maintained that it agrees with the sanctions imposed by the DNC which stripped both Michigan and Florida of their delegates. It is believed that Clinton's proposal to suspend her campaign was accepted by Senator Obama's campaign late last night, according to a sources at the DNC, who spoke on condition that their identities not be disclosed, as they were not authorized to discuss the matter on the record. No one contacted within Senator Obama's campaign would comment with regard to whether he had agreed to such a proposal from the Clinton camp. [...]

"She really had no viable option at this point in light of her funding problems," said one her chief advisers. "This allows her to preserve her viability as a candidate and to claim that she won a victory by getting the Michigan and Florida delegations seated."

Although Senator Clinton will attend no further campaign events or fundraisers, and will shut down all campaign operations, including television advertising, in the remaining primary states, she will continue to remain on the ballot in each of those states. [...]

In addition, "The suspension of her campaign is not binding on any of her supporters not officially associated with the campaign, who may continue to speak on her behalf, or carry on other activities in support of her candidacy, should they wish to do so," said another Clinton advisor.

It is also not clear at this point whether her husband, former President Bill Clinton, or her daughter, Chelsea, has agreed to withdraw from making any further public appearances on her behalf.

If true, this is quite a significant development. Obviously Clinton's funding issues were more precarious than anyone had previously reported.

Significant indeed, if it were true.

How Many Shovels Have YOU Used?

How many times have you actually picked up a shovel and buried a friend? A colleague? A comrade? A fellow soldier?

You can't buy me on the truth...

Noah Shachtman at Danger Room finds a 2006 report written for U.S. Special Operations Command that suggests ways the military should deal with the blogosphere. One suggestion is for the military to hire bloggers to “pass the U.S. message“:

Information strategists can consider clandestinely recruiting or hiring prominent bloggers or other persons of prominence…to pass the U.S. message. … On the other hand, such operations can have a blowback effect, as witnessed by the public reaction following revelations that the U.S. military had paid journalists to publish stories in the Iraqi press under their own names. People do not like to be deceived, and the price of being exposed is lost credibility and trust.

An alternative strategy is to “make” a blog and blogger. The process of boosting the blog to a position of influence could take some time, however, and depending on the person running the blog, may impose a significant educational burden, in terms of cultural and linguistic training before the blog could be put online to any useful effect.

Only unvarnished facts here.

Do you even know how many American soldiers are dead because of Iraq? How many are seriously injured? How do I politely say "Fuck you!" because you very likely did not know? Hell! The majority of you don't seem to care.

American Deaths
Since war began (3/19/03):	4011	3274
Since "Mission Accomplished" (5/1/03) (the list)	3872	3166
Since Capture of Saddam (12/13/03):	3550	2966
Since Handover (6/29/04):	3152	2641
Since Election (1/31/05):	2573	2379
American Wounded	Official	Estimated
Total Wounded:	29496	23000 - 100000
Latest Fatality Mar. 31, 2008
Page last updated 03/31/08 12:07 am EDT
Iraqi Casualties
US Military Deaths by Month from Icasualties.org
Put a Casualty Counter on Your Website
Others
Other Coalition Troops	309
US Military Deaths - Afghanistan	491
American Civilian Casualties
Sources: DoD, CentCom, MNF, and iCasualties.org
Daily DoD Casualty Release
20,000 vets' brain injuries not listed
The Faces The List Sources American Casualties Iraqi Casualties Contact U.S. lacks mechanism to accurately track troops wounded in Iraq A Running Log of the Wounded UPI reports : As many as 1 of every 10 soldiers from the war on terror evacuated to the Army's biggest hospital in Europe was sent there for mental problems. Between 8 and 10 percent of nearly 12,000 soldiers from the war on terror, mostly from Iraq, treated at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany had "psychiatric or behavioral health issues," according to the commander of the hospital, Col. Rhonda Cornum. That means about 1,000 soldiers were evacuated for mental problems. The hospital has treated 11,754 soldiers from the war on terror, with 9,651 from Iraq and the rest from Afghanistan, according to data released by the hospital. Also see The Missing Wounded. American Count Dates and sources of Americans killed in Iraq since 5/1/03 are documented in this file. Admittedly the file is incomplete, for the Department of Defense does not maintain old records. All data was compiled from http://www.defenselink.mil. If something is amiss in the data collection, please contact Margaret Griffis. Iraqi Civilian Count We maintain a daily count based on news reports. It is not intended to be complete. There is no agency that keeps track of accurate numbers of Iraqis killed. JustForeignPolicy maintains a running estimate based on the Lancet study with the rate of increase derived from the Iraq Body Count. Sources and Links Web page listing names of those killed since 5/1/03 Central Command Department of Defense Cost of War BBC News Coalition Casualty Count The Washington Post JustForeignPolicy Fox News Listing by month

You know you couldn't answer these simple questions.

If you are afraid of hearing my opinion on these facts... Don't ask me to tell you the truth. Because I will. Too bad for you if you don't like the answers. Too bad for you if you can't handle the truth.

Wiffle Waffle...

Please don't let the dream end!

So when people have asked me whether I think Hillary should drop out I've said I don't think she's under any obligation to do so but that I do think, with her odds now this long, she should not be running a campaign that seems to go out of its way not simply to compete but to damage the likely nominee as a general election candidate and attempt to discredit the nomination process itself.

But when I was writing out my take on her interview over the weekend with Post, I realized that I hadn't made clear enough in what I'd written, or even really in my own head, how much the two things are really combined.

As I said in that post, I don't think Hillary's claim that she's going to stay in the race through the convention in Denver is really about Denver, or staying through August or even till June. It's about keeping her troops motivated and confident so that she can keep in the game through April and May.

And here I think we see the pattern. Hillary doesn't want to run for president in 2nd or 3rd gear. It's beneath her dignity.

But it isn't beneath her dignity to continue to run the campaign she has when she has already clearly lost? Third gear? You are talking about retro girl here. Your opinion has just hit the skids on this one, Josh.

I am starting to think I need to start a "2012" elections (more likely "2016," since it will take her that long for her to reform her character after the shit that flew back in her face) to actually bother to list posts on Hillary Clinton "elections."

The fact that you say your are thinking (or rethinking) beyond this reality says a lot. You just can't justify stupid. Wish in one hand and shit in the other... Then come back and tell me which one fills up first... 'Kay?

Fascinating? No.

Delusional? Yes.

Fascinating

From TPM Reader DS ...

Many Clinton supporters find the current attempts to muscle her out of the race despicable. Maybe now is the time for Obama to take one for the team and accept her offer of the VP slot. It is the position he is better qualified for, would end a situation that is supposedly hurting the party, and would put him in a better position to run next time. Clinton has no “next time,” so it makes more sense for Obama to be the one to step aside.

If the convention is held too late in the election cycle for the presidential nominee to campaign effectively, perhaps the date of the convention needs to be changed. The solution cannot be for viable candidates to set aside their ambitions long before a nominee has been clearly chosen.

--Josh Marshall

Nobody "muscled her out" of anything. She simply lost to someone Dem voters think will be a better candidate and shamelessly refuses to acknowledge that fact. Clinton has no "next time," but only because of the fact that she has run her campaign into the ground effectively eliminating any chance of a "this time." I think reader DS needs to take a step back from the keyboard and take a good hard look around at was has already happened.

The Democratic primary is over - it has been for a while now - and Obama won.

And, IMHO, Clinton has shown clearly through her campaign actions and statements why she should not even be offered the slot as Obama's VP. The Democratic party already had one Lieberman as a VP candidate and that was one too many.

Obama makes Texas Toast out of Clinton

Losing by enven more than before:

The conventional wisdom going in is that Barack Obama will get enough projected delegates today to more than beat Hillary's four-delegate advantage from the state primary, thus crowning him the overall winner of the "prima-caucus" system. A clearer picture should emerge tonight, and we'll be updating when that happens.

Late Update: The latest numbers, with 31% of total delegates counted by Burnt Orange Report, stand at Obama 55%, Clinton 45%.

Late Late Update: With just under 40% of the delegate numbers in, it's Obama 58% to Clinton 42%.

Clinton moves the goalposts all the way to Denver?

Sen. Clinton gave a pretty astonishing interview to the Washington Post in which she appears to say she will stay in the race till the convention in August, where she will take her fight to the credentials committee to have the delegates from the non-sanctioned Michigan and Florida primaries seated.

What about "Hell No!" does her campaign fail to understand?

John McCain: The Panamanian president Americans have been waiting for?

Everyone focuses on the message this campaign ad might say about Obama...

The voice-over then concludes, “John McCain: The American president Americans have been waiting for.”

It’s that last line that’s probably the most provocative.

Obama, of course, delivered a speech on Super Tuesday that said, “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.” The McCain ad, meanwhile, argued that McCain is the “American president Americans have been waiting for.”

So, why use the word “American” twice in the same sentence? Media consultants, especially when creating presidential campaign ads for the general election, don’t waste so much as a syllable. The sentence would have sounded just fine if it said, “John McCain: The president Americans have been waiting for.” But the campaign wanted to add that one extra word.

Michael Crowley noted:

That’s an awfully conspicuous formulation when your opponent has been accused of being unpatriotic and of murky foreign origin. All the more so given that it echoes Obama’s line, “we’re the ones we’ve been waiting for.” Am I reading too much into it?

I don’t think so.

Maybe... BUT they forget the fact that McCain has so many campaign flaws that need to be reformed in the eyes of the republican wing nuts. Stuff like the fact that John Sidney McCain was born in Panama and, theoretically, may not legally be eligible to become president of the USA, nor how his birth in his native homeland of Panama plays out to anti-immigrant voters:

Can Foreign Born John McCain Be President?

The fact that John McCain was born in a foreign land has even the McCain campaign scrambling for legal cover:

Mr. McCain’s likely nomination as the Republican candidate for president and the happenstance of his birth in the Panama Canal Zone in 1936 are reviving a musty debate that has surfaced periodically since the founders first set quill to parchment and declared that only a “natural-born citizen” can hold the nation’s highest office.

The phrase “natural born” was in early drafts of the Constitution. Scholars say notes of the Constitutional Convention give away little of the intent of the framers. Its origin may be traced to a letter from John Jay to George Washington, with Jay suggesting that to prevent foreigners from becoming commander in chief, the Constitution needed to “declare expressly” that only a natural-born citizen could be president.

Ms. Duggin and others who have explored the arcane subject in depth say legal argument and basic fairness may indeed be on the side of Mr. McCain, a longtime member of Congress from Arizona. But multiple experts and scholarly reviews say the issue has never been definitively resolved by either Congress or the Supreme Court.

Just some food for thought as conservatives seem to be on their way to nominating the first Panamanian born candidate for President of the United States of America. Not that he is likely to win, but I wonder if McCain is related to Manuel Noriega?

There is always the possibility that this message is supposed to be some kind of message to their own base as well as the possible undertones directed towards Obama in this typical GOP type campaign ad.

Get Paid To Blog on Politics?

Come on... I keep posting these positions for you Bloggers and a good part of Connecticut is well within the commuting distance to NYC:

Looking For That Special Someone

We're hiring a new reporter.

--Josh Marshall

Need more details?

Job Opening at TPM

Starting today, we're announcing a job opening for a reporter-blogger at TPMmuckraker. The new hire will be one of two full-time reporter-bloggers for the site. There is no deadline for applications. We'll be hiring as soon as we find the right person. If you're interested please send a resume, two clips and a letter describing your interest and qualifications for the job to talk (at) talkingpointsmemo.com with the subject line "TPMmuckraker Job".

This is a full-time position, with health care. The reporter-blogger will report from either New York or Washington, DC., depending on the applicant.

If you've already expressed interest in the position informally, please submit an application as described above.

To learn more about what we do at TPM and what we've accomplished in the last year, see these news reports on TPM from 2007. And thanks to our readers who make all of this possible.

For many of you that are more than qualified to do this job... What are you waiting for?

Also, TPM media is (almost) always looking for interns. Get some great experience and learn from what is a truly top-notch news organization:

TPM interns are vital to our operation and have a hand in everything we do. They work alongside our reporters to write and break stories, help our editors keep a finger on the pulse of the news day, and produce all kinds of digital media from youtube clips to mash-up photographs. Some of our interns have gone on to jobs here at TPM, others have moved on to jobs in new and old media alike, working for Think Progress, The Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, The New York Sun, and more. To learn more about what we do at TPM and what we've accomplished in the last year, see these news reports on TPM from 2007.

Because each intern is encouraged to work in multiple parts of our operation, it's important that applicants have a basic understanding of new media technologies (blogging, youtube, etc.) and a desire and ability to learn quickly. All internships are unpaid and based in TPM's New York City office.

To apply for any of our internships, send an email to talk at talkingpointsmemo.com with a cover letter, resume and two references. Include in the email subject "TPM Internship."

Spring 2008 Internship

Our Spring 2008 Internship runs from mid-March to early June. We will be accepting three or four full time interns. Part-time interns may be considered.

Applications are due on February 8th.

Summer 2008 Internship

Our Spring 2008 Internship runs from early June to late August. We will be accepting four or five full time interns. Part-time interns will not be considered.

Applications are due on March 21st.

Rolling Internships (Intern now!)

At any given time, it is always possible that we could use a smart person in the office to replace a lost intern or help us manage the ever-growing mountain of muck and news. If you're available to come in sooner than the beginning of the next internship cycle begins, let us know.

Think about it... A crash course in political reporting during what will be one heck of an exciting election cycle! And from one of the best political news organizations out there.

About the only disadvantage to the reporting job or the internships I can think of is that you would no longer be able to Blog naked. I am not the only one that does that, am I? :)

John McCain's MASSIVE Credibility Gap

Questions on John "The Bruce McQueen" McCain's credibility from Kevin Drum that the media really needs to address, but instead of just generalizing about the MSM... Perhaps we need to direct this to each of the slack-jawed media bobblehead stenographers individually to get their attention:

Come on Tim Russert:

• Foreign policy cred lets him get away with wild howlers on foreign policy.

How about this Brian Williams:

• Fiscal integrity cred lets him get away with outlandishly irresponsible economic plans.

And you Wolf AIPAC Blitzer:

• Anti-lobbyist cred lets him get away with pandering to lobbyists.

Just for you Britt Hume:

• Campaign finance reform cred lets him get away with gaming the campaign finance system.

For David Gregory:

• Straight talking cred lets him get away with brutally slandering Mitt Romney in the closing days of the Republican primary.

Maybe Greg Stephanopolous could cover this:

• Maverick uprightness cred allows him to get away with begging for endorsements from extremist religious leaders like John Hagee.

And for Chris Matthews:

• "Man of conviction" cred allows him to get away with transparent flip-flopping so egregious it would make any other politician a laughingstock.

How about this topic Joe Scarborough:

• Anti-torture cred allows him to get away with supporting torture as long as only the CIA does it.

Everyone wants to know:

Remind me again: where does all this cred come from? And what window do Democrats go to to get the same treatment the press gives McCain?

So....

Do any of you media types have what
it takes to present a truly unbiased look at
John McCain's MASSIVE credibility gap
on almost every single topic he pushes
into your media talking points?

If any of these issues came up for a candidate on the Dem side it would be on an endless media loop and the lead story on every political wonks show...

Visit Republican Roger Stone's Swingers Club

Josh Marshall from TPM brings up some interesting questions concerning where Roger Stone was when he got his info on Elliot Spitzer... And he would like you to go visit the place to see what you can find at the swingers club called Miami Velvet:

Sure you know about Eliot Spitzer's hooker-gate implosion. But did long-time Spitzer nemesis and GOP dirty trickster Roger Stone grease the skids for Spitzer's downfall with information he learned while chillin' at a Miami swingers club? In today's episode of TPMtv we bring you all the lurid details:

If you are thinking of visiting (just to help Josh out with research, of course!), remember that it is an "On Premise" club... Meaning people will likely be having sex there in public view and in more private rooms, as well. Just don't expect to find Stone there. I am guessing that Roger Stone will no longer be welcomed at Miami Velvet since he has broken one of their "Swingers Rules To Live By For a Guaranteed Great Time" as listed on their website:

Demand absolute discretion! And be worthy of the same. Discretion is paramount in this lifestyle! Privacy is imperative!!! Never, ever discuss details inappropriately. Everything you do, everything you see, MUST remain private. Miami Velvet has a saying, "Everything you see here, Everything you hear here, must remain here when you leave here".

In fact, Roger Stone may find that he will no longer be welcome at any swingers clubs having broken this rule. Obviously, swingers cannot count on his absolute discretion. Is there a certain amount of irony in the possibility of a Republican being left with the one option of having sex with only their spouse? Just Curious?

Given the fact that he is just another typical Republican, they should have known that he could not EVER be trusted. lol

Comparing Joe neocon Lieberman To A Dog?

Jeff Huber, at ePM, may want to be careful because the SPCA could come after him for animal abuse with a comparison like this:

It must be a kick in the head to base your claim to the presidency on your savvy in foreign affairs only to have it get out that Joe Lieberman knows more about them than you do. I bet it’s a lot like how I feel when my dog corrects my grammar in front of people.

John McCain, his stepping stone wife
and Chris Shays with their pet neocon and
foreign policy poodle Joe Lieberman

4000 Dead American Soldiers In Iraq

4000 Dead American Soldiers In Iraq...

The overall U.S. death toll in Iraq rose to 4,000 after four soldiers were killed in a roadside bombing in Baghdad, a grim milestone that is likely to fuel calls for the withdrawal of American forces as the war enters its sixth year.

The American deaths occurred Sunday, the same day rockets and mortars pounded the U.S.-protected Green Zone in Baghdad and a wave of attacks left at least 61 Iraqis dead nationwide.

As reported in the Seattle times article, Overall US Death Toll in Iraq Hits 4,000, for which the title seems to ignore the hundreds (thousands?) of mercenaries that have died, as well.



One soldier was wounded in the attack:

The four soldiers died when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb while on patrol late Sunday in southern Baghdad, bringing the overall toll to 4,000, according to an AFP tally based on independent website www.icasualties.org.

Another soldier was wounded in the attack, a military statement said.

The chaotic and brutal conflict which is now in its sixth year has also wounded more than 29,000 American soldiers, according to icasualties.org.

At least 97 percent of the deaths occurred after US President George W. Bush announced the end of "major combat" in Iraq on May 1, 2003, as the military became caught between a raging anti-American insurgency and brutal sectarian strife unleashed since the toppling of Saddam.

Bear in mind the reality that over one million Iraqis have died since "shock and awe" began indiscriminately killing Iraqis.



And all of this over a pack of lies sold to you by the criminal bush administration...

I know, we went to Iraq to bring the Democracy, to stop the terrorists over there so we wouldn't have to fight them over here, and all that other nonsense.

Fortunately, there are some (not the corporate media) who will keep history alive and accurate.

Please, if you have an hour and feel the need to "purge", take the time to review the case for war as made by the Bush Administration in all of its glory.

I only wish this was required viewing for every candidate running for office today, and after viewing it, each candidate were to have to address their vote (if they voted) or their public stands.

Why Are "Serious People" The Last To Know?

Reading this entire piece by Anne-Marie Slaughter is as painful as watching a one armed boxer that does not realize they are too punch drunk to enter the ring ever again... And not understanding "why?" they should never have taken up the sport to begin with.

It is not just that the Joe Kleins, Bill Kristols, and every other punch drunk hawk pundit wannabe on both the right and the left has been so wrong on so many important topics... But every metric they have used to come to their failed decisions has been equally as wrong as well. When it came to Iraq, the bell hadn't even wrung yet and they were all out cold on the mat.

To put it simply? No, we will never trust any of your suggestions, ideas or your reasoning ever again. No, we will not ask you for your opinions. And No! Don't bother to offer them. Not from any of you "Serious People" going through life ignorant of your own serious deficiencies when it comes to critical thinking.

Stop Gotcha Politics on Iraq?

Try this one on:

Stop thinking we take any of you seriously...

I was going to tear some of this piece up later.
But... Ding! Ding! Ding!
Don't bother putting your gloves on...
The knockout punch has already landed.

Has Clinton Hit The Bottom Of The Sink Yet?

Not yet? Either Clinton or her supporters seem to be digging in desperation or...

UMMM? I yanked this screencap from the site. Is that supposed to resemble a black man hanging in that YouTube cartoon there? I'm not sayin' but, ya know... Well? Of all the screngrabs they could have picked in that video. That seems pretty darn intentional.

click here for larger image

Add to that the Al Jolson look of the character "Felix the Cat" to begin with. WTF are those people thinking? Is hillaryis44.org an "official" Clinton campaign site?

The Clinton Myth - The Dem Primary is Over

It has been for a while now...

The Politico hits the reality nail on the head with this:

Story behind the story: The Clinton myth

One big fact has largely been lost in the recent coverage of the Democratic presidential race: Hillary Rodham Clinton has virtually no chance of winning.

Her own campaign acknowledges there is no way that she will finish ahead in pledged delegates. That means the only way she wins is if Democratic superdelegates are ready to risk a backlash of historic proportions from the party’s most reliable constituency.

Unless Clinton is able to at least win the primary popular vote — which also would take nothing less than an electoral miracle — and use that achievement to pressure superdelegates, she has only one scenario for victory. An African-American opponent and his backers would be told that, even though he won the contest with voters, the prize is going to someone else.

People who think that scenario is even remotely likely are living on another planet.

Clinton's likely reaction to being told this truth... Well? A picture is worth a thousand words:


Even the more ardent Hillary Clinton supporters are being forced to face this reality:

Pretty Much

As Jim Vandehei and Mike Allen argue in this piece in The Politico, the press has been largely complicit in maintaining the fiction that the Democratic nomination race is not for all intents and purposes over. The obstacles in the way of Hillary Clinton are virtually insurmountable. And her now-sizable deficit among pledged voters is only one of them. Everyone in the press, probably including us, should be much more candid about that.

--Josh Marshall

No doubt about it. I will give Marshall props for showing a more reasonable amount of reality than the media ever did over the last month as he has slowly moved closer to this truth, but never quite outright stated it. So when you hear one of the most incompetent Dem political campaign gurus ever say stuff like this concerning Bill Richardson's endorsement of Obama:

“The time that he could have been effective has long since passed,” he continued, “I don’t think it is a significant endorsement in this environment.”

-Democratic campaign dingleberry Mark Penn

Mark Penn may have inadvertently got something half-right for a change! Remember that there truly is no longer any significant endorsement in this environment because...

The Democratic primary is already over.

And that is pretty much a fact...

McCain Biography Royally Flushed by Facts

So much for the royal bloodlines of "McCain the Bruce":

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) doesn’t have royal blood.

Publishers of McCain’s book, Hard Call, say that the senator is “related to the Scottish king, Robert the Bruce, on his mother’s side,” but “genealogists and medieval historian” tasked to investigate the link say it’s not so, calling it “wonderful fiction” and “baloney”.

Much like his campaign.
WEEEEEEE! Flush!

McCain BFF Hagee - Clinton Makes the Wright Friend

Jeremiah Wright and Bill Clinton at "The Family" sponsored National Prayer Breakfast:

Hillary Clinton, as a member of "the Family," attended as well. I fully expect a night long extravaganza of speechifying by Hillary Clinton denouncing the Clinton's relationship with Wright accompanied by weeks of incompetent media speculation of just how unAmerican she may be. Anything less would be hypocritical.

As for McCain? Considering he went out of his way to get the support of hate monger John Haggee, I fully expect the same for and from him. Here is just a sample of some of the hate that has come out of Hagee's gaping piehole from Glen Greenwald:

Yesterday, though, the equally fringe, radical and hateful (at least) Rev. John Hagee -- a white evangelical who is the pastor of a sprawling "mega-church" in Texas -- enthusiastically endorsed John McCain. Did McCain have to jump through the same hoops which Russert and others set up for Obama and "denounce" Hagee's extremism and "reject" his support? No; quite the opposite. McCain said he was "very honored" to receive this endorsement and, when asked about some of Hagee's more twisted views, responded: "all I can tell you is that I am very proud to have Pastor John Hagee's support."

McCain's sainted supporter, Joe Lieberman, last year spoke to Hagee's group and lavished him with such obsequious praise that Lieberman actually compared Hagee, favorably, to Moses. Why is Louis Farrakhan deemed by our political establishment to be so radioactive as to not be fit for good company -- black candidates are required to repudiate his support even when they haven't sought it and denounce his views even when they've never advocated anything close to those views -- but John Hagee is a perfectly acceptable figure whom mainstream GOP politicians are free to court without any consequences or media objections?

Here is just a small sampling of the belief system of this welcomed McCain supporter:

* All Muslims are programmed to kill and we can thus never negotiate with any of them. From an NPR interview Hagee gave to Terry Gross in 2006:

TG: If you use the Bible as the basis for policy, is there any room for compromise? And if you use the bible as the basis for policy, should Muslims use the Koran as the basis for their policy, and then again, what possible basis is there for compromise at that point?

JH: There is really no room for compromise between radical Islam --

TG: I'm not talking about radical Islam. I'm just talking about Islam in general.

JH: Well Islam in general -- those who live by the Koran have a scriptural mandate to kill Christians and Jews.

* God caused Hurricane Katrina to wipe out New Orleans because it had a gay pride parade the week before and was filled with sexual sin. From the same interview:

JH: All hurricanes are acts of God, because God controls the heavens. I believe that New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God, and they were recipients of the judgment of God for that.

The newspaper carried the story in our local area, that was not carried nationally, that there was to be a homosexual parade there on the Monday that the Katrina came. And the promise of that parade was that it would was going to reach a level of sexuality never demonstrated before in any of the other gay pride parades.

So I believe that the judgment of God is a very real thing. I know there are people who demur from that, but I believe that the Bible teaches that when you violate the law of God, that God brings punishment sometimes before the Day of Judgment, and I believe that the Hurricane Katrina was, in fact, the judgment of God against the city of New Orleans.

* The End Times -- Rapture -- is imminent and the U.S. Government must do what it can to hasten it, which at minimum requires: (a) a war with Iran and (b) undying, absolute support for a unified Israel, including all Occupied Territories (hence, Joe Lieberman's love affair with them). From Christian Palestinian Daoud Kuttab in The New York Times (h/t PZ Meyers):

A small minority of evangelical Christians have entered the Middle East political arena with some of the most un-Christian statements I have ever heard. . . . [Rev.] Hagee, a popular televangelist who leads the 18,000-member Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, ratcheted up his rhetoric this year with the publication of his book, "Jerusalem Countdown," in which he argues that a confrontation with Iran is a necessary precondition for Armageddon (which will mean the death of most Jews, in his eyes) and the Second Coming of Christ. In the best-selling book, Hagee insists that the United States must join Israel in a preemptive military strike against Iran to fulfill God's plan for both Israel and the West.

Hagee believes that "the president's support for Israel fulfills a biblical injunction to protect the Jewish state," which "will play a pivotal role in the second coming." These views are not unrelated to Hagee's support for McCain. Quite the contrary; Hagee cited McCain's so-called "pro-Israel views," his belligerence towards Iran, and his social conservatism as reasons for the endorsement.

But that is not all... Not by a longshot. I may not be fan of some of the Catholic churches past stances, but the McCain loving wingnutty Hagee takes hatred, bigotry and religious zealotry to ridiculous ends of extremism when it comes to the Catholic church comparig them to "whores," "Adolf Hitler" and the anti-Christ. Hagee in his own words:


This guy is so over the top with his bigoted views that any honest merican would be demanding McCain's apologies and political thumping against endorsements like this. Meanwhile, Obama is asked to bend over backwards to denounce people he doesn't even associate with:

Although cavorting with the likes of Pat Robertson and John Hagee is perfectly acceptable in Russert World, Russert also demanded, back in January, 2006, that Obama opine on various controversial remarks from the highly influential political philosopher Harry Belafonte (h/t JKP1000):

MR. RUSSERT: I want to talk a little bit about the language people are using in the politics now of 2006, and I refer you to some comments that Harry Belafonte made yesterday. He said that Homeland Security had become the new Gestapo. What do you think of that?

MR. RUSSERT: Mr. Belafonte went to Venezuela, as you well know, some time ago and met with the Hugo Chavez, leader of that country, and said some things that obviously were noted in this country and around the world. Let’s listen, and come back and talk about it.

(Videotape, January 8, 2006) . . .

MR. RUSSERT: Is it appropriate to call the President of the United States "the greatest terrorist in the world"?

Obama is required to denounce certain people with whom he has no connection while the likes of Bush, McCain, Lieberman and Giuliani are free to associate themselves openly with the most extremist elements around.

This whole Wright issue is clearly a manufactured rightwing media hit job on Obama while ignoring the same from other more conservatively palatable candidates like Hillary Clinton and John McCain.

I am not an Obama supporter, nor am I even Dem... But even I can see through this charade.

Clinton wants you to ignore everything in her past experience as the world leading 'First Lady' role that won't portray her in a perfect light. She will stand aside and, sometimes, even encourage these ridiculous attacks on Obama... All for her own benefit. You won't see them owning up to Wright as this hit job plays out. The rightwing wants Obama out because they think he will be harder to beat (No Duh!) and the media wants their pre-ordained McCain - Clinton match up in the next elections. (Double No Duh!)

When you look at just how many rightwing nutjob preachers have preached a "God Damn America!" sermon and other kinds of hate and intollerance over the decades and the right wing politicians embrace them as part of the base of the GOP:

Jerry Falwell

"(re: 9/11 attacks) "...throwing God out of the public square, out of the schools, the abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked and when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad...I really believe that the pagans and the abortionists and the feminists and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way, all of them who try to secularize America...I point the thing in their face and say you helped this happen.""

"AIDS is not just God's punishment for homosexuals; it is God's punishment for the society that tolerates homosexuals"

"Textbooks are Soviet propaganda"

"The ACLU is to Christians what the American Nazi party is to Jews"

"The whole (global warming) thing is created to destroy America's free enterprise system and our economic stability"

"Homosexuality is Satan's diabolical attack upon the family that will not only have a corrupting influence upon our next generation, but it will also bring down the wrath of God upon America."

Rod Parsley

I do not believe our country can truly fulfill its divine purpose until we understand our historical conflict with Islam. I know that this statement sounds extreme, but I do not shrink from its implications. The fact is that America was founded, in part, with the intention of seeing this false religion destroyed, and I believe September 11, 2001, was a generational call to arms that we can no longer ignore.

Pat Robertson

"You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we are trying to assassinate him, we should go ahead and do it. It's a whole lot easier than starting a war, and I don't think any oil shipments will stop."

Ariel Sharon's stroke was God's punishment for giving up Gaza and the 9/11 attack was divine retribution against America -- America's fault -- for tolerating gays, feminists and the ACLU

"Just like what Nazi Germany did to the Jews, so liberal America is now doing to the evangelical Christians. It's no different. It is the same thing. It is happening all over again. It is the Democratic Congress, the liberal-based media and the homosexuals who want to destroy the Christians. Wholesale abuse and discrimination and the worst bigotry directed toward any group in America today. More terrible than anything suffered by any minority in history."

"I know this is painful for the ladies to hear, but if you get married, you have accepted the headship of a man, your husband. Christ is the head of the household and the husband is the head of the wife, and that's the way it is, period."

"Maybe we need a very small nuke thrown off on Foggy Bottom to shake things up" –Pat Robertson, on nuking the State Department

Holy Crap! Those statements are pretty damning statements of America. And you can add the FRC's Peter Sprigg to right wingnut religions recent outrageous statement: "I would much prefer to export homosexuals from the United States than to import them into the United States because we believe homosexuality is destructive to society." And those are some of the mildly overt ones you will find from religious right wingnuts. I haven't even touched on the Phelps families of the world and groups like the FIC soft peddling bigoted views...

Here is a another Hillary Clinton whackjob spiritual connection that is also shared by too many other politicians, both on the right and the left:

The audio clips you can hear in this video I have produced are taken from sermons given by the man Senator Hillary Clinton has described as her "spiritual mentor": Doug Coe.

Doug Coe is the head of a secretive Washington religious organization, which hosts the yearly National Prayer Breakfast : The Family

The Family is not a conspiracy.

The Family is a right-wing fundamentalist, elitist power cult.

The Family is a global influence peddling ring with links to some of the most savage, bloodthirsty regimes of the 20th Century.

The audio clips you can hear in this video production are taken from sermons given by the man Hillary Clinton has described as her "spiritual mentor", Doug Coe.

[update] Link to YouTube video on The Family and Coe since it keeps messing up...

When is every single politician going to be held accountable for their longstanding connections to these tools of religious insanity? And YES! "The Family" is Hillary's group:

Ehrenreich writes:

The Family's most visible activity is its blandly innocuous National Prayer Breakfast, held every February in Washington. But almost all its real work goes on behind the scenes -- knitting together international networks of rightwing leaders, most of them ostensibly Christian. In the 1940s, The Family reached out to former and not-so-former Nazis, and its fascination with that exemplary leader, Adolph Hitler, has continued, along with ties to a whole bestiary of murderous thugs.

She then quotes from a report by Jeff Sharlet in Harper's in 2003:

During the 1960s the Family forged relationships between the U.S. government and some of the most anti-Communist (and dictatorial) elements within Africa's postcolonial leadership. The Brazilian dictator General Costa e Silva, with Family support, was overseeing regular fellowship groups for Latin American leaders, while, in Indonesia, General Suharto (whose tally of several hundred thousand "Communists" killed marks him as one of the century's most murderous dictators) was presiding over a group of fifty Indonesian legislators. During the Reagan Administration the Family helped build friendships between the U.S. government and men such as Salvadoran general Carlos Eugenios Vides Casanova, convicted by a Florida jury of the torture of thousands, and Honduran general Gustavo Alvarez Martinez, himself an evangelical minister, who was linked to both the CIA and death squads before his own demise.

Apparently, Clinton fell in with the group in 1993, when she joined a prayer group mainly composed of wives of conservative politicians like James Baker and Jack Kemp.

When she ascended to the senate, she was promoted to what Sharlet calls the Family's "most elite cell," the weekly Senate Prayer Breakfast, which included, until his downfall, Virginia's notoriously racist Senator George Allen. This has not been a casual connection for Clinton. She has written of Doug Coe, the Family's publicity-averse leader, that he is "a unique presence in Washington: a genuinely loving spiritual mentor and guide to anyone, regardless of party or faith, who wants to deepen his or her relationship with God."

Furthermore, the Family takes credit for some of Clinton's rightward legislative tendencies, including her support for a law guaranteeing "religious freedom" in the workplace, such as for pharmacists who refuse to fill birth control prescriptions and police officers who refuse to guard abortion clinics.

There's a new book coming about the group coming out in May by Jeff Sharlet, who wrote the Harper's piece and joined one of the sect's male only group homes to learn more about them.

The whole thing is deeply disturbing and worth reading. Link again is here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

Other wingnuts you might find at a typical event held by "The Family"?

A crowd of 4,000, including President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush, lawmakers, judges, heads of state and others from more than 100 countries, came together for coffee, conversation and spiritual contemplation at the annual National Prayer Breakfast held this morning in Washington, D.C..

The biggest stir came when Republican presidential front-runner, Sen. John McCain, made a conspicuous entrance with Sen. Joseph Lieberman, the Democrat-turned-independent senator from Connecticut. While most of the audience quietly awaited opening remarks, the two senators made the long walk from the back of the ballroom to their table at the front. They sat side-by-side and seemed oblivious to the flock of photographers who had swooped in for a few close-ups. McCain played it coy last month when asked if he was considering a McCain-Lieberman ticket; Lieberman, he responded, would “be a great partner in any endeavor.”

The National Prayer Breakfast is an outgrowth of a separate private weekly prayer breakfasts that various members of Congress have attended since the 1940s.

snip

In his comments, Bush said he was pleased to carrying on a practice observed by every president since Dwight Eisenhower. “It’s an important tradition and I’m sure presidents who come after me will do the same,” Bush said as he tipped his head in the direction of McCain.

The National Prayer Breakfasts, sponsored by "The Family," are the biggest story never talked about by the media concerning its connections to religious fanatics, their truly scary beliefs and behind the scenes political power around the globe.

Screw them all if they - the Clintons, the media and the GOP wingtards - haven't figured out what a political joke they are all becoming. And all because they can't accept the possibility of an outside candidate out working them all on his way into the White House.

I can understand the Clinton and McCain campaigns throwing "the kitchen sink" at Obama... But when the media uses their partisan ammunition and ignores the hypocrisy of it all, then they are throwing Obama under the bus for their own obviusly partisan reasons.

The media needs to start taking a hard look at the Clintons, McCains and the right wing GOP's religious stupidity and demanding (in days of unending relentlessness) apologies and repudiations and the media needs to continue to speculate on the "genuineness of" of their repudiations for weeks afterwards... It would be the only way they could claim any genuine semblance of balance on these issues.

If you got this far reading,
you might want to Buzz this!

[update] To fix link, video and info on HRC's ties to "The Family".

5 Years

It has been five years since the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq. And so the day of protesting began as per usual in the no free speech zone known as America:

Today, police arrested more than 30 people “who blocked entrances at the Internal Revenue Service building” as “part of a day of protests to mark the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.” Demonstrators also converged in Miami and San Francisco, and other cities across the country.

It wasn't long after that until we heard and read the banner news that it was all over:

MAY 1, 2003:
Mission Accomplished

"My fellow Americans: Major combat operations in Iraq have ended."
-Bush, 5/1/03

It is five years later and, right now, 3992 American soldiers have died in Iraq. Innocent Iraqi civilians are still getting slaughtered by supposed friends and foe alike. And bush fanatics talk of 10, 100 OR even ONE THOUSAND more years of this. Nevermind the last five years. What has happened just in the last week in Iraq?

Monday 17 March: 92 dead

Baghdad: 3 are killed in minibus explosion, Karrada; roadside bomb kills policeman, Mansour; mortar attack kill 5 at soccer field (2 of them children), Ghadeer; mortars hit house, kill 6 children, Sawmar; 7 bodies.

Karbala
Karbala: suicide bomber kills 52 near shrine.

Basra
Basra: gunmen kill policeman; woman's body found.

Anbar
Haditha: gunmen attack checkpoint, kill policeman.

Diyala
Abu Saida: roadside bomb kills 1.

Ninewa
Mosul: roadside bomb kills 1; 10 bodies.

Kirkuk
Udhaim: 3 bodies of neighbourhood patrol found.

Sunday 16 March: 26 dead

Baghdad: car bomb kills 1, Mansour; 5 bodies.

Diyala
Hwedir: 5 policemen die in clashes.
Khanaqeen: roadside bomb kills Kurd.
Muqdadiya: 2 bodies.

Ninewa
Mosul: gunmen kill 2 policemen; roadside bomb kills 1; 3 bodies -one beloning to 11-year-old boy.

Basra
Basra: 4 bodies.

Wassit
Kut: 2 bodies.

Saturday 15 March: 19 dead

Baghdad: 2 bodies.

Diyala
Al-Huwayder: gunmen kill civilian.
3 bodies.

Ninewa
Mosul: truck bomb kills 1 at checkpoint; bodies of 3 brothers found.

Wassit
Kut: 6 die in clashes; gunmen kill 1 during house raid.
Numaniya: body found.

Babil
Iskandariya: gunmen kill civilian.

Friday 14 March: 15 dead

Baghdad: football coach is shot dead, Al-Yarmuk; street sweeper killed by roadside bomb; 2 bodies.

Wassit
Kut: 2 policemen are killed in clashes; motorcycle bomb kills 1; chieftain's son is killed in clashes; bomb strikes minibus, kills 2.

Babil
Hilla: rockets kill 4.

Ninewa
Rabiya: suicide bomber kills interpreter at Syrian border.

Thursday 13 March: 39 dead

Baghdad: car bomb kills 18, Bab al-Sharki; gunmen kill journalist; 3 bodies.

Diyala
Baquba: civilian killed by gunman.

Salahuddin
Al-Hajaj: 3 Sahwa killed by gunmen.
Tikrit: gunmen kill policeman.
Baiji: gunmen kill 2 at checkpoint.
Samarra: 15-year-old girl is shot dead by police who open fire on family car at checkpoint.

Najaf
Najaf: policeman killed in drive-by shooting.

Kirkuk
Al Zab: suicide bomber kills 3.
Kirkuk-Rashad highway: car bomb kills 1.

Wassit
Kut: 2 killed by rockets during clashes.

Ninewa
Daybaka: 1 body found.
Mosul: abducted Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho is found dead.

Wednesday 12 March: 24 dead

Baghdad: roadside bomb kills 2, Amin; 4 bodies.

Diyala
Bazaiz Buhrz: US forces fire warning shot and kill 10-year-old girl.
Benizad: 5 Sahwa shot and beheaded at checkpoint.
Dali Abass: 1 body.
Kanaan-Balad Ruz: 1 body.
Imam Habash: 2 bodies.
Muqdadiya: 2 bodies.

Salahuddin
Baiji: policeman is shot dead.
Samarra: 3 fuel truck drivers killed by roadside bomb.

Tuesday 11 March: 90 dead

Baghdad: gunman kills 1 riding on minibus; 5 bodies.

Salahuddin
Dhuluiya: suicide car bomber kills 8 at checkpoint.
Tikrit: 3 die in US airstrike.
Samarra: 20 bodies found in mass grave -5 of them children.

Wasit
Kut: 22 are killed in clashes, 5 of them children.

Diyala
Muqdadiya: 2 bodies.

Dhi Qar
Nassiriya: roadside bomb hits bus carrying mourners returning from a funeral, kills 16.

Babil
Yusufiya: bomb explodes in building, kills 1.
Iskandariya: gunmen kill 1.

Anbar
Thar Thar: suicide car bomber kills 2 Sahwa members.

Ninewa
Mosul: 5 are killed when gunmen attack police checkpoint; 3 die in a car when US helicopter opens fire.

Basra
Basra: gunmen kill 1.

That is 21 confirmed dead Iraqi children just in the last week alone...

Just a typical week in Iraq as bush spreads FreeDumb. Do you really want to do the math on five years of this:


I'll save you the trouble of doing the simple math here...

FIVE YEARS times 52 WEEKS times 21 DEAD IRAQI KIDS equals

A special place place in hell for all of you war cheerleaders...

If you are currently stuck in a foreclosure battle...

Do you think the judge should know about this:

Yesterday, the FBI disclosed that it has launched criminal investigations against 17 companies “in the fallout of the subprime mortgage collapse.” Two Justice Department officials have confirmed that Countrywide Financial is one of the companies under investigation.

Ya know... Courts might not want to be rushing to judgments in these cases. There is nothing routine about what is going across America in this mortgage crisis. The article discusses some of the problems they see:

While the bureau will not comment on the companies that are under investigation, two Justice Department officials confirmed to ABC News reports in last week's Wall Street Journal that Countrywide Financial is under investigation.

FBI and Justice Department officials declined to comment on any open cases after the recent troubles of investment bank Bear Stearns, which JPMorgan Chase bailed out earlier this week by purchasing the company.

But in an interview with the Reuters news service Tuesday, Neil Power, section chief of the FBI's Economics Crimes Unit, alluded to a possible probe, saying, "Common sense would indicate that we would look at something that big."

"The problem is that banks weren't doing their due diligence," Power said.

It would seem to me that a lack of due diligence on the part of the banks would make them more responsible for any foreclosures on people that should not have had mortgages offered to them in the first place. We expect Joe and Suzy Sixpack to be a little bit ignorant in how these things work and the risks involved but banks should bear a greater responsibility since this is their field of expertise. It seems to me that anyone being foreclosed on in these kind of situations (ARMs, balloon payment mortgages, etc.) should be looked at as somewhat of a victim to a crime.

Also being looked at are hedge funds, like Bear Sterns, and their investments and transactions surrounding all of this. There are some emails that suggest some serious problems in Bear Stern's management. It is also a seemingly ever changing investigation:

Though the list of companies under investigation has grown, one FBI official said the number of firms under investigation is "fluid," as some of them may not pan out, some of them might close and more firms could come under scrutiny as these long-ranging investigations continue.

The FBI Criminal Investigative Division currently has 1,253 mortgage fraud investigations into all types of mortgage fraud and schemes around the country, including illegal property flipping, home equity schemes and check fraud cases.

Currently in the works is some possible relief for those that are suffering under looming foreclosures:

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) are introducing legislation “aimed at stabilizing financial markets by helping as many as 2 million homeowners avoid foreclosure.” The separate bills look to give the Federal Housing Administration “a key role in helping to renegotiate distressed mortgages and would provide up to $300 billion in guarantees to new lenders.”

Hopefully this is not too little too late and - unlike handing out corporate welfare to the likes of Bank of America, Countrywide and Bear and Sterns - this will offer some real help to the American people that need it.

[update] via C&L, America is becoming a tent city nation:

Why doesn’t our media cover stories like this? They talk about the economy and mortgage crisis, but they aren’t showing the real effects of it. Instead we have to rely upon foreign news to hear about tent cities popping up in America, full of citizens that once owned their own homes.